Fayetteville Daily Democrat; March 27, 1922.

With $14,700 pledged in cash donations and additional pledges based on four percent or more of the assessed valuation of property of subscribers, totaling a sum variously estimated at from $35,000 to $50,000 the General Assembly Finance Committee today launched the campaign to raise the necessary $100,000 to meet Fayetteville's obligation. The executive committee of the Assembly Commission will meet here April 6th, and the committee expects to have the entire $100,000 pledged by that time when J.H. McIlroy, Jay Fulbright and Art Lewis trustees, will guarantee Fayetteville's payments.

The amounts above mentioned were pledged Saturday night in less than 30 minutes after the committee's plan to raise the necessary money had been presented by Vol Walker of the Assembly Committee at a mass meeting of citizens. The plan, in brief, was as follows:

To place subscriptions on a voluntary basis, with the suggestion that it will be necessary to raise the equivalent of four percent on the assessed valuation of all real and personal property in Fayetteville and vicinity. No assessment will be made against any subscriber but it is expected in order to place donations on a fair and equal basis that each property owner will subscribe no less than four percent of the assessed value of his property, both real and personal. Payments of subscriptions will be made in five equal parts, payable first installment on 30 days' notice and each thereafter annually, without interest, from October 1, 1922.

The Finance Committee will meet tonight at 7:30 o'clock in company with soliciting committees appointed from the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Clubs, to complete plans.

All banks have been authorized to take voluntary subscriptions and a booth for subscribers will be placed in the court house. Notes to be signed are now being printed and will probably be ready for subscribers tomorrow. The phrasing of those notes is given elsewhere.

The meeting was held in the court room, which was taxed to capacity in spite of the fact that Saturday night is an inconvenient time for businessmen; that the crowd had to shift from the Ozark Theatre where a burnt out transformer had left them in the dark, and that the weather was stormy.

Mr. Walker called the house to order and launched at once into an address in which he excelled even his own well-known previous powers of oratory, and in which he swayed his audience with his every word. He explained that purchasing the Assembly is not an individual matter but that it concerns alike every banker, every business man, every property owner, every resident. He declared that to raise the needed funds will take a long pull, a strong pull and a pull together of every living soul and begged that if there had been any differences in the past on the part of Fayetteville citizenry that these be forgiven and forgotten. He stated that for the second time in its history Fayetteville is confronted with a great responsibility and reviewed the achievement of the community 50 years ago when in a fair and open fight and at a great personal sacrifice this community and this county bought and paid for another great institution, the State University.

"For years we have been fighting a group of people who would violate a solemn contract," said the speaker. "Fayetteville has now contracted to pay $100,000 for the Methodist General Assembly. We dare not fail in this undertaking! If we do," he added with characteristic humor, "we may as well say to our University, 'Good-bye, my honey, you're gone!'"

The speaker pointed out that if Fayetteville 50 years ago with a population of 960 (of which about 800 were white) paid $30,000 as State University bonus on an assessed valuation of less than half a million dollars worth of property, that it is a small task today for more than 5800 people to pay $100,000 bonus on an assessed valuation of nearly three million dollars worth of property "which," he said, "we all know to be not over one-third of its real value."

"If we let Mena step in now and take the Assembly away from us," he interpolated, "we will have to spend all the rest of our lives explaining."

Mr. Walker touched briefly and with characteristic modesty on his efforts to keep the University here and of his part played in the constitutional convention, wher it was hoped to make the permanency of the University a part of the constitution.

Quoting Scripture concerning the heart and the treasure, the speaker reminded his hearers that there is no pocket in a shroud and begged each to give according to his means and his conscience.

"The time has come when we must put up or shut up," he concluded outlining the plan as previously agreed upon by the Finance Committee composed of himself, J.H. McIlroy, Art Lewis, Jay Fulbright and Major Davidson.

All members of the committee and Dr. Bradford Knapp, a member of the Fort Smith Committee were on the platform and the latter followed Mr. Walker with an eloquent appeal.

"There can be no 'if' in the matter of Fayetteville's raising the amount of her obligations," said Dr. Knapp. "Failure of this enterprise would mean the end of the history of this town."

The speaker cited other instances when Fayetteville had "come across" handsomely and predicted that the securing of the Assembly would mean 30,000 inhabitants here within the next ten years. He visioned other equally desirable developments witch the Assembly would bring.

Both speakers were frequently interrupted with applause and cheers and each paid tribute to Tom Hart, C.C. Yarrington, Frank Campbell and other members of the location committee who had given unselfishly to the cause.

Mr. Walker concluded the program of addresses in poetic language in which he reminded his hearers that "only the game fish swims up stream" and in which he said "the tide in the affairs of men, which taken at its crest leads to success" is here. Incidentally, he complimented William Floyd, Railroad Commissioner, of Little Rock, whom he declared a friend of Fayetteville and, who he announced had that day proved his friendship by a check of $50 to the Assembly fund, the first gift to the Assembly.

Appealing to each to give "four percent or better" of the assessed valuation of his property, he himself headed the subscription list by a donation of 10 percent voluntary assessment.

Other subscribers pledged themselves in rapid succession as follows: